On March 3, 2021 Sierra Oncology, Inc. (SRRA), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company on a quest to deliver targeted therapies that treat rare forms of cancer, reported that company executives will participate in three investor conferences in March 2021 (Press release, Sierra Oncology, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234575987]). Stephen Dilly, MBBS, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Sierra will provide a company update at the HC Wainwright Life Sciences Conference and the Oppenheimer Healthcare Conference; Barbara Klencke, MD, Chief Development Officer will participate in a panel discussion at the 33rd Annual Roth Conference.

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Presentation Details:

Conference:

HC Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference

Presenter:

Stephen Dilly, MBBS, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Date:

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Time:

On Demand Viewing starting at 7:00 am ET

Conference:

Virtual 33rd Annual Roth Conference

Presenter:

Barbara Klencke, MD, Chief Development Officer

Session:

Large Market Opportunities in RARE Hematologic & Inflammatory Disease

Date:

Monday, March 15, 2021

Time:

10:00 am – 11:00 am ET

Conference:

Oppenheimer 31st Annual Healthcare Conference

Presenter:

Stephen Dilly, MBBS, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Date:

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Time:

1:50 pm – 2:20 pm ET

All three presentations will be webcast and available at the times noted above on the Investors section of Sierra’s corporate website in the Events & Webcast tab.

On March 3, 2021 Exicure, Inc. (NASDAQ: XCUR), a pioneer in gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic drugs utilizing spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for its clinical product candidate, cavrotolimod (AST-008), for the treatment of patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) (Press release, Exicure, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576008]).

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"We are excited to have been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for cavrotolimod for MCC," said Dr. Douglas Feltner, Chief Medical Officer of Exicure. "This designation marks significant progress toward our goal of fulfilling the unmet medical need and finding a treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma patients."

Exicure previously announced that the FDA granted two Fast Track designations for cavrotolimod (AST-008) for MCC and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), both in the advanced/metastatic setting after progression on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies.

About Orphan Drug Designation

Orphan Drug Designation is a designation granted by the FDA which provides orphan status to drugs or biologics which are intended to treat rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. This designation provides the sponsor of the drug certain incentives, including tax credits for qualified clinical trials and fee waivers. Orphan Drug Designation confers eligibility for seven years of market exclusivity to an orphan drug post-approval, subject to a receipt by the FDA of marketing approval.

About Cavrotolimod (AST-008)

Cavrotolimod (AST-008) is an SNA consisting of toll-like receptor 9 agonists designed for immuno-oncology applications. In December 2019, Exicure announced preliminary results from the Phase 1b stage of the clinical trial including potential signs of anti-tumor activity with cavrotolimod in combination with pembrolizumab in cancer patients, including those with MCC. To date, 20 patients in the Phase 1b stage of the clinical trial have been dosed, and no cavrotolimod-related serious adverse event or dose-limiting toxicity has been reported. The most commonly reported adverse events were injection site reactions and flu-like symptoms. In the second quarter of 2020, Exicure initiated Phase 2 dose expansion cohorts of intratumoral cavrotolimod in combination with approved checkpoint inhibitors to treat two cohorts of patients with advanced or metastatic MCC or CSCC. Each cohort is expected to enroll up to 29 patients whose tumors have progressed on anti-PD-1/PD-L1, or programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1, antibody monotherapy.

On March 3, 2021 CytRx Corporation (OTCQB: CYTR) ("CytRx" or the "Company"), a specialized biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development for the oncology and neurodegenerative disease categories, reported that Steven A. Kriegsman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CytRx, is scheduled to participate in the following upcoming conferences (Press release, CytRx, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576026]):

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H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference: March 9-10, 2021
Mr. Kriegsman will deliver a virtual presentation that will be available to conference participants on-demand beginning March 9, 2021.
Virtual 33rd Annual ROTH Conference: March 15-17, 2021
Mr. Kriegsman will deliver a virtual presentation that may be accessed on the News and Events page of the CytRx website beginning March 5, 2021.

On March 3, 2021 Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTGX), reported it will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, March 10 at 4:30 pm ET/1:30 pm PT to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2020 financial results (Press release, Protagonist, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576044]).

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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Conference Call and Webcast Information

To access the live call, dial 1-844-515-9178 (U.S./Canada) or 1-614-999-9313 (International) and refer to conference ID #: 7756175. A live webcast of the call will also be accessible on the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.protagonist-inc.com. The replay will be available on the Company’s website approximately two hours after the call.

On March 3, 2021 Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH), a global life sciences company providing innovative tools and bioactive reagents for the research and clinical diagnostic communities, reported it has reached an agreement to acquire Asuragen, Inc. for initial consideration of $215 million in cash plus contingent consideration of up to $105 million upon the achievement of certain future milestones (Press release, Bio-Techne, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576105]). The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash on hand and an existing revolving line of credit. Bio-Techne anticipates the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2021.

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Founded in 2006, Asuragen is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of genetic carrier screening and oncology testing kits. Asuragen’s products leverage proprietary chemistries which can be used on widely available platforms including, PCR, qPCR, capillary electrophoresis, and next-generation sequencing instruments. This platform agnostic approach enables its clinical laboratory customers to solve complex molecular diagnostic challenges and empowers hospital and regional labs to expand in-house testing capabilities, furthering the decentralization of the molecular diagnostics market, enabling quicker turn-around times and ultimately delivering better patient care. Asuragen’s headquarters includes a scalable, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility as well as a CLIA-certified laboratory. In 2020, Asuragen generated greater than $30 million in revenue globally and its Chief Executive Officer, Matt McManus, will join the Bio-Techne team to continue to lead the legacy Asuragen business as well as the integration process.

Asuragen brings a leading portfolio of best-in-class molecular diagnostic and research products, including its FDA-cleared AmplideX Fragile X Diagnostic and Carrier Screening kit for the screening of prospective parents as potential carriers of Fragile X chromosomal abnormalities as well as its Quantitidex qPCR IS BCR-ABL kit to enable the monitoring of leukemia patients for minimal residual disease. In addition to its existing portfolio of innovative and enabling technologies, Asuragen’s pipeline includes expanded carrier screening panels for various pathologies recognized by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as areas of concern for prospective new parents. Bio-Techne sees multiple growth synergies following the closing of the transaction, including Asuragen’s capabilities and proven track record in productizing lab-developed tests and commercializing innovative molecular products for broader market adoption.

"Asuragen is very complimentary with Bio-Techne’s existing diagnostics franchise and the addition of this business is expected to drive growth synergies throughout the expanded portfolio," said Chuck Kummeth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Techne. "We are not only acquiring a financially strong and scalable business, building our diagnostic portfolio and expanding our bandwidth with an additional CLIA-certified and GMP compliant laboratory, but are also adding a team with deep expertise in the intricacies of the global regulatory environment and a proven track record of opening new market channels. This critical mass will be very beneficial to the Genomics and Diagnostics Segment as we commercialize our pipeline of liquid biopsy tests through our Exosome Diagnostics business and also opens the possibility of approaching the market with kitted versions of these products. We anticipate continued traction with Asuragen’s leading portfolio of molecular diagnostic kits for both clinical and research uses and see significant potential in its pipeline of expanded carrier screening panels. Asuragen is a great addition to the Bio-Techne team."

"The Asuragen team is extremely excited to be joining Bio-Techne at this point in our growth trajectory," said Matt McManus, Chief Executive Officer of Asuragen. "Bio-Techne’s global presence, reputation and relationships within the clinical diagnostic and research communities will enable Asuragen to broaden our reach and accelerate penetration into the high-growth molecular diagnostic markets addressed by our portfolio. I am honored to continue to lead the Asuragen team as a part of Bio-Techne. I would like to thank all of the great people of Asuragen for their committed efforts growing our company to this point and am looking forward to the next stage of growth under the Bio-Techne umbrella."

Fredrickson & Byron, P.A. is serving as Bio-Techne’s legal counsel. Perella Weinberg Partners LP is the financial advisor and Vinson & Elkins LLP is serving as legal counsel to Asuragen.